Purpose

Copy but don't paste

This assignment only asks that you copy the already-working files in Opener Project Part 1 and Opener Project Part 2. That's right, you don't have to come up with your own code. This exercise is mostly a freebie, to make sure your development environment is set up correctly, to see if you can follow instructions, to grind in some good workflow habits, and then to give a brief walkthrough of Python code.

That said, I'm going to ask that you do as little copying-and-pasting as possible, unless you already completely get this. First of all, practicing typing and keyboard shortcuts is a much overlooked but incredibly important part of becoming a better developer. Second, it's very easy to read something and feel that you get it. Having to type it out helps you to see easy-to-miss steps.

Don't panic

If you're new to Python and relatively new to programming, 95% of the code in this assignment should seem completely foreign to you. That's fine. But that also means you definitely should not copy-and-paste the assignments.

Along with each script file to read, I've tried to give a short explanation of what it does, and also, links to supplementary readings, which I encourage you to follow up on. I don't expect you to learn Python in one-week or two, but I definitely expect you to be familiar with the rhythm and process of writing code, running it, and then debugging it.

But to keep things straightforward, open the Github Desktop Application, which you've hopefully installed and authenticated to your Github user account. It should look something like this:

Create a repository in the Github desktop app

In the Github app. click the plus-sign icon in the top-left. Then click the Create tab, and then Choose the path to your compjour-hw folder, i.e. ~/Desktop if you're following me.

Then put in compjour-hw in the Name field and click Create Repository

Add/commit a "change"

Creating README.md counts as a "change". So in the bottom part of the Changes tab, you'll see a button that says Commit to master.

Before you push that button, add something to the Summary and Description text field:

Publish

Then hit the Commit to master button.

Now, see that Publish button in the top-right corner? Once you push that button, your file folder will be published online on your Github account.

When you're ready, push the Publish button. This will bring up another dialog, which may be irrelevant if you currently only have one Github identity. You should be able to push the Push Repository button:

Visit the repo online

If your username is your_username, your compjour-hw repo should now be live at:

https://github.com/your_username/compjour-hw

Here's my version:

https://github.com/dannguyen/compjour-hw

Add a Python script from the homework

OK, now to do the homework. Switch back to Sublime Text. I find it easiest to use the Keyboard Shortcut: Cmd-Tab